True stories of dogs rescues by a national organization of volunteer pilots who fly pets to their new forever homes. Since 2008, an unlikely alliance of volunteer pilots and animal rescue enthusiasts has worked together to save thousands of death-row dogs by flying them to safe havens and better lives. Through two dozen accounts of real life animal rescues, Dog Is My Copilot tells the inspiring story of Pilots N Paws, America’s most unique and high-flying animal rescue organization. Founded “accidentally” when a private pilot offered to fly a mission of mercy to save an abused dog for a friend, Pilots N Paws has grown to include thousands of pilots who have transported tens of thousands of dogs slated for euthanasia (and a fair amount of cats and other animals), sometimes more than 1,000 miles away to new homes or no-kill shelters, where they have a much higher chance of adoption. These short, captivating stories are accompanied by more than 100 charming, poignant, color photos—most taken by the pilots themselves—of their canine passengers in flight. Unexpected things can happen when dogs reach cruising altitude, and the stories in Dog Is My Copilot run the emotional range from hilarious to heart rending—but the endings are always happy. These dogs are the lucky ones, and most of the pilots will tell you that when they get on the plane, they know it. After all, waiting for them on the ground hundreds of miles away is a second chance at a happy life with a loving forever family. Dog Is My Copilot—it's Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Marley and Me . . . with just a dash of The Right Stuff. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Pilots N Paws organization.

"Dog Is My Copilot" tells the story of Pilots N Paws, a high-flying animal-rescue operation founded "accidentally" in 2008 when a private pilot offered to fly a mission of mercy to save an abused dog for a friend.

Dogs have been our muses, our mentors, and our playful and noble co-pilots. They’ve had a profound influence on us as healers and spiritual guides, and also as co-workers, helping to guide, hunt, herd, search, and rescue. Our bond with dogs is deep and unbreakable, and there’s no better source a reader can turn to for a richer understanding of that complex and wonderful relationship than The Bark. The Bark began as a newsletter in Berkeley, California, that advocated for an off-leash area where dogs could cavort and play. Within a few years it had become a full-fledged, award-winning glossy magazine that published work by some of the best writers in America today. And as it grew, the magazine embraced a much larger canvas: to cover the emerging phenomenon of “dog culture” that has been developing over the past decade, as dogs have moved out of the backyard and into our homes, communities, and, indeed, the very center of our lives. As editor Claudia Kawczynska writes, “The implications of integrating another species into society’s daily fabric go well beyond how we nurture our dogs. It calls for a revamping of the standard etiquette—respecting the concerns and interests of society at large. This new relationship, along with an appreciation for our rich and unbounded future, comprises what we call dog culture. This is what The Bark set out to chronicle.” Dog Is My Co-Pilot is an anthology of essays, short stories, and expert commentaries that explores every aspect of our life with dogs. Fifty percent of the material here has never been published before. The book is divided into four sections: Beginnings explores that first meeting, “the initial murmurings when a dog-human relationship is formed.” Pack investigates the theme of “togetherness” and pays tribute to the dynamic of multiple personalities in the canine-human relationship. Lessons examines what dogs teach us, from love to enlightenment. The final section, Passages, reflects on the themes of true friendship, transformation, and loss. Included are pieces by Lynda Barry, Rick Bass, Maeve Brennan, Margaret Cho, Carolyn Chute, Alice Elliott Dark, Lama Surya Das, Pam Houston, Erica Jong, Tom Junod, Caroline Knapp, Donald McCaig, Nasdijj, Ann Patchett, Michael Paterniti, Charles Siebert, Alexandra Styron, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, and Alice Walker. In selections that are humorous, poignant, truthful, sometimes surprising, and frequently uplifting, Dog Is My Co-Pilot embraces the full experience of the world’s oldest friendship. For people who love great writing and, yes, great dogs, it’s a book to be both shared and treasured.

Bestselling author, award-winning mixologist, and passionate animal advocate Natalie Bovis pairs fascinating doggie trivia with easy-to-make drink recipes in this unique cocktail book for dog lovers. If there's one thing we know, it's that we can survive anything with a furry companion and a cocktail by our side. Enter Drinking with My Dog, which combines our devotion to dogs with celebratory drinks in this charming, pet-centric cocktail book from Natalie Bovis of The Liquid Muse. Inside you’ll find everything you need to know to set up your home bar and mix 60+ delicious cocktails organized into dog-themed chapters, featuring rescue dogs, famous furbabies, wild dogs, cocktails for pawlidays throughout the year, and more. Also included is canine history, whimsical illustrations, and toast-worthy quotes. Drinking with My Dog is the ideal companion for dog lovers and drink enthusiasts alike, and is the cocktail book we’ve always needed to help us raise a glass to wo/man’s best friend!

Caldecott Honor winner David Ezra Stein has fans at his command with this comical dog’s-eye view of having a best friend. Many dogs have human owners. Not this dog. He fetches his own slippers, curls up at his own feet, and gives himself a good scratch. But there is one spot, in the middle of his back, that he just can’t reach. So one day, he lets a human scratch it. And the poor little fella follows him home. What can the dog do but get a leash to lead the guy around with? Dog lovers of all ages will revel in the humorous role-reversal as this dog teaches his human all the skills he needs to be a faithful companion.

In the 1900s, technology was advancing at a speed which was at that time in Santa Fe as well as everyplace else, not only very new, but confusing and scary to many, especially for the older folks that were comfortable with the way things were. Particularly, it seemed so in most of New Mexico, where tradition was fossilized in a state of mañana, tomorrow. What’s the hurry? Like everything else, with time, people accepted what was new in their life and soon found these new technologies a real need. From small and large companies to each individual, new electronic gadgets became both lifesavers as well as hindrances at times. Dog Soldier of Los Cerrillos encompasses the life of some old military combat veterans and their tributes to freedom as well as their unhealed wounds. For many, the thousand-yard stare stayed with them for years. Combat made many soldiers chain-smoke, use drugs, and drink themselves drunk in hopes of reducing the pressure of always being in that life-or-death situation through every mission that would, as time went on, manifest itself into a lifetime of addiction. Cecil Franklin was no different. As a civilian who constantly fought his alcoholism. Falling off of the wagon came and went as life’s pressures grew or ebbed. Being Cheyenne and raised on the reservation in his early years was to teach him the old ways but as he became a young man he had searched out a trade in hopes of assimilating into modern society and move from the poverty of the reservation. He was, as were many other young men, serving in the military and the war in Vietnam. By a stroke of luck he became the handler of a black Labrador called Jet and one of a five man tracker team that searched and hunted in what was sometimes called Indian Country behind enemy lines. After his service, Cecil married, had fathered a daughter, divorced, and raised his daughter on his own after moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where his life took many turns.